Vintage Mirrors with Solid Wood Frames

A mirror is the only decorative object that changes the perceived size of a room. Which is why the choice of wall matters more than the choice of frame, however beautiful the frame.

The wall is chosen by what it reflects

Before anything else, hold the mirror against each candidate wall and look at what appears in it. A mirror reflecting a window or a light source doubles the light in the room; one reflecting a blank wall does nothing, and one reflecting a bathroom door or an untidy corner works against you. In a hallway with no window, the right position can make the corridor look twice as wide. It is a test that takes a minute and changes the result completely.

Height and proportion

The centre of a decorative mirror sits 150-160 cm off the floor, at the eye level of someone standing. Above a console or a chest the reference changes: leave 15-25 cm between the top and the frame, and let the width of the mirror cover 60-75% of the piece beneath. Above 75% it unbalances the furniture; below 60% the mirror looks lost on the wall. A tall narrow mirror stretches the room upward, a wide one makes it read broader — choose according to the fault you want to correct.

An old frame and old glass are not the same thing

On vintage pieces, the glass and the frame are of different ages more often than people assume. An original mirror frequently has dark patches at the edges where the silvering has oxidised over time — not a fault but the sign that the glass is original, and many people prefer it exactly so. If you want a perfectly clean reflection, the glass can be replaced while keeping the frame, at little cost. What cannot be remade is a carved or gilded frame. At purchase, check the stability of the frame and the fixing system: a large mirror weighs far more than it appears and needs anchoring into the wall, not a simple nail.